The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • The difference between mentoring and coaching

    While ago I was privy to a conversation between an established coach and a senior human resource manager in a thriving bank in Nigeria. The coach asked the manager if her organisation had any internal coaches or gave room for external coaches to have sessions with staff.

    The human resource manager replied in the affirmative by stating that coaching was encouraged at her workplace, she went on to describe what happened at her organisation, myself and the coach came to the conclusion that the organisation was involved in mentoring and not coaching.

    That was when it hit me, there is a very blurred line between what coaching and mentoring. It is encouraging that many organisations now encourage peer to peer mentoring and supervisor to subordinate mentoring especially in cases of succession plans and promotions, but it is also important not to mistake coaching for mentoring or vice versa.

    This article will attempt to succinctly draw the line between coaching and mentoring, especially in the context of the workplace.

    The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.A mentor, is someone who offers their knowledge, expertise and advice to those with less experience. By leveraging their experience and skills, mentors guide mentees in the right direction.

    What does a workplace mentor do?

    As earlier mentioned a mentor helps mentees explore their career options, set development goals, develop new contacts and identify resources. In this way, a mentor serves as a professional advisor and role model for the mentees. The role of a mentor would usually change as the needs of the mentee changes. In most cases mentoring relationships are informal and the relationship between the mentor and the mentee forms the bedrock of the mentorship relationship. Good mentors are always willing to share their skills and knowledge with the mentees. Since they have faced the same challenges as their mentees, they are more empathetic towards their needs.

    To inspire and build trust and confidence, mentors possess a positive and can-do attitude. These qualities make it easier for the mentees to discuss their professional goals and concerns with them.

    From a business perspective, mentors help employees gain more confidence in their work and develop skills to add value.

    What does a workplace coach do?

    Coaching at work takes a fully different approach. In a business environment the key to a successful coaching relationship is structured collaboration. The coach does not direct or act in an authoritarian manner but collaborating with the employee or coachee to identify, target, and plan for performance improvement. In the workplace the coach acts as facilitator to help the employee achieve self-realisation around opportunities for improvement by asking probing, and often tough, questions and challenging the employee to think about their goals as well as how to achieve them. The goal of coaching is improved performance by self- realisation. Coaching promotes creativity, breakthrough performance and resilience, giving organisations a competitive edge and an effective way to flow and operate within an environment of continuous change. In the Nigerian workplace the term training is more popular, but it has been discovered that without coaching, training loses its effectiveness, training fails to achieve the lasting behavioural change that coaching brings about, this is because training is an event while coaching is a process. Coaching is the valuable next step to training to insure that the new knowledge imparted, actually becomes learned behavior.

    Coaching takes a holistic view of the individual: work, corporate values, personal needs and career development are made to work in synergy, not against one another.” – British Journal of Administrative Management

    In conclusion the following are a few points to note:

    Mentoring is a long-term process based on mutual trust and respect. Coaching, on the other hand, is for a short period of time.

    Mentoring is more focused on creating an informal association between the mentor and mentee, whereas coaching follows a more structured and formal approach.

    A workplace mentor has first-hand experience of the mentee’s line of work. A workplace coach, however, does not necessarily need to have a hands-on experience of the kind of work the coachee is engaged in.

    The topmost priority of a business mentor is to help develop skills that are just relevant for the mentees in their present job. For a business coach, the biggest priority is to improve performance that impacts the present joband the employee’s behaviour for other future endeavours.

    ‘Gbeminiyi Obadan – Life and Executive coach

    For more information on how to integrate coaching into the personal development of your organization you can email me at gbemieobadan@gmail.com.

     

  •  Expert charges youths on creativity

    THE co-Founder Next Leaders Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS), Peter Pedersen, has advised youths to look for creative and innovative ways to solve problems facing Africa.

    Pedersen spoke at the Next Leaders’ Africa Summit organised by NELIS at Afe Babalola Hall, University of Lagos.

    The three-day event tagged Connecting for change: Transforming Africa for better was attended by hundreds of young leaders and social entrepreneurs from five countries in Africa. It featured lecture series, panel discussions and breakout sessions.

    Pederson said by 2030, there would be 10 billion people on the planet and it was expected that 80 per cent of the new people would live in Africa and Asia. Thus, ‘’we have to find new ways of coping with the change. I think is that the issue of innovation is important.’’

    He said the youth make up 65 per cent of Africans, adding that this portends great opportunities for youths to look for more creative ways to address the continent’s socio-economic needs.

    Pedersen, represented by founder Anthropulse Limited Mauritius/Barcelona, Meelan Thondo, noted:  “Youths in Africa are the ones exposed to climate change, unemployment, maternal mortality, poverty, inequalities, malaria and Ebola, migration to corruption and lack of essential infrastructure.

    “I firmly believe that issues around health and well-being need to be at the heart of a sustainability transition and, therefore, deserve more attention. We need to find new ways of addressing health impacts of climate change and urbanisation, and of finding synergies with environmental sustainability,” he said.

    Petersen stressed that sustainable development could not be assured with abundant resources alone, but requires the capacity to convert available resources into new value-added products and services.

    Country Coordinator, NELIS Primer, Lawrence Afere said the event was aimed at gathering Africa’s social entrepreneurs and key players to learn and share on the latest of social entrepreneurship trends, on the skills needed to make social change happen on a broad scale, and to make new connections to collaborate for greater positive change on the continent.

  • Girl, 11, needs N9m for treatment

    The parents of young Esther Oluwanifemi Oladapo, 11, are not happy. Their lovely daughter has been diagnosed of neurological deficit with recurrent seizures since last year.

    The couple has spent all their fortunes on the little girl. But, after several unsuccessful treatments at the General Hospital, Somolu, Lagos, Mr and Mrs Femi Oladapo decided to seek assistance from a foreign specialist.

    With a referral from the General Hospital signed by Dr. N. O. Oja, the family got the nod of Stem Cell Institute, Panama City to carry out the surgery.

    But, paucity of funds is denying young Esther the chance of medical treatment in Panama. About $15,000 is urgently needed to balance cost of the operation scheduled for next August

    In an email acknowledging the deposit paid by the Oladapos, the institute replied that it received $800 on January 31, this year, leaving a balance of $15,025, which is due on first appointment date prior to the commencement of treatment.

    According to Oladapo, Esther, suddenly developed health complications after birth and was diagnosed of Lumber Meningitis with cerebral palsy seven months later. “Consequently, she suffers from recurrent seizures and paralyses, which has left her disabled.

    “As parents, we have sunk our livelihood into treating her, but to no avail. To the glory of God, a foreign hospital has offered to provide medical treatment to restore her to normalcy at a cost of about N9million.

    “We have been able to raise funds to pay for medical deposit at Stem Cell Institute, Panama City, Panama, and purchased recommended drugs before her treatment commence. Some several months ago, all her back and buttocks peeled, having large sores and very painful from a close observation. We thank God that the sores healed up over a great amount of time later on,” he said.

    Oladapo, who is calling on well-meaning Nigerians for support, said his family is committed to this cause and trust God for its success.

    “Funds are urgently needed for medical treatment abroad and travelling expenses of child and parents. We greatly need your help indeed so that Esther our daughter may fulfill her purpose and destiny,” he prayed.

    He gave their bank account opened for the fundraiser as follows: Account: Esther Oluwanifemi Oladapo. Account Number:  016 346 5525, GTbank. Mr Femi Oladapo on 080 600 70 600 (father)

  • Fashions Finest Africa holds in Lagos on May 24

    Fashions Finest Africa show will hold at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos between May 24 and 25.

    Its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sola Oyemade broke the news at the unveiling  of activities for the show.

    He said the show would remain a leading platform that provides new and upcoming fashion creative opportunities to showcase their crafts in the highly competitive fashion world.

    Oyemade has given young people a level-playing ground to contest on the runway irrespective of their shape or size. He recalled that it has pioneered some shows in Africa, such as The People’s Catwalk and the African Model Congress.

    According to him, the elite fashion world only presents opportunities to fashion curators who have already made some stakes in the fashion world, giving very little opportunity for the new and emerging ones.  ‘’This is one of the conventions we have successfully dismantled,’’  he said.

    He said judges for the show would be drawn from various countries in Africa, such as South Africa, Gambia, Tanzania and Ghana. For the sake of fairness and clarity, the judges do not speak to each other during  the event and that the People’s Congress leaves the decision to the people’s discretion.

    Oyemade, however, lamented the state of  economy, which he said, has not been friendly to the fashion curators, investors, collaborators and partners. He hoped the event would be appreciated for a more robust delivery in the future.

    The show will feature exhibition of finest wears, bags and jewelry at affordable prices.  Winner of the Peoples Catwalk will go home with a cash prize of N100,000 and gift items. No fewer than 50 people will walk the catwalk on each of the two days, in their interpretation of the African fashion. Five people from each heat will be selected by the audience to make it through to the final, which takes place during the gala finale on Saturday.

    Apart from the catwalk, there will be a conference and creative sessions on Friday that will feature some notable names in the fashion industry, discussing ‘business of fashion: how to take your brand from catwalk to high street stores.’

    Also, nominees for the Fashions Finest Awards will be drawn from all over Africa with two major categories of Designer of the year and Makeup Artiste of the year.

    The award has become one of the most coveted awards in the industry, recognises the personality, brand all over Africa that has made tremendous progress in the fashion industry.

    Sponsors of the show include Zaron, Mixta Africa and LASAA.

  • Alpha Club berths at Ijero-Ekiti

    It was the gathering of who is who in Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti State at the weekend as some illustrious sons of Ijero who are doing well in their chosen professions came together for the inauguration of a new club, Alpha Club of Ijero-Ekiti. The event was great re-union for old friends to meet and a great opportunity for new ones to “put a face” to names they might have been hearing before but never met.

    Members came from different parts of the country and outside the shores of Nigeria to form a common goal towards moving Ijero town forward and becoming a world class community with enviable achievements and a pointer to other communities within and outside its environs.The highlight of the day was the election of officers to run the affairs of the club till the next election year.

  • Women’s place in African cities

    Artists, activists, academics and actors gathered at InstitutFrancais, Ikoyi, Lagos, to examine issues of gender in urban African contexts focusing on cities, such as Lagos. It was part of a series of events organised by Institut Francais de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA-Nigeria), French Institute for Research in Africa, University of Ibadan, for the future of cities in Africa, reports Chinyere Elizabeth Okoroafor.

    Following growing debates on gender relationships in African societies, questions were raised about public policies implementation, civil society initiatives and artistic productions, exploring the notion of “gender of” and “gender in” Nigerian and African cities. Moderating the discourse, Molara Wood asked how gender-friendly is our cities?

    Prof. Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch, who has conducted extensive research on the concept of public spaces in South African cities like Cape Town, said that in African cities and average cities in the world, women are very much oppressed and dominated.

    For her, whether it is in private or public space, it is male domination that is enforced through lots of different means that must be redressed.

    She explained that even when the means by which women are dominated vary from country to country, there are also set of rules that may protect and not protect women. She cited rules that may be implemented or not implemented and police that are not helpful to women who have been attacked or assaulted as examples. “There are social norms that make perceive women badly,sexual or verbal harassment in the street. So, all these are really core to reducing the rhythm of movement and access to education, health for so many women,” she said.

    On public policies implementation, Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Lagos State Government, Tabia Princewill, said that the elites who make policies are in the private space, which is why attention, was not paid to the designs of public space. “Policy makers need to design environments in such a way that it is safe especially for the safety of women. Security is a big issue for women in Lagos. The design of the city makes it hard for anyone to walk freely. Our public spaces are not safe. Policy makers should mind the less privileged when designing public spaces, she noted.

    Answering the question if Lagos city is women-friendly, Ireti Bakare-Yusuf said it is critically important to talk about gender in cities today. According to her, this is so ‘because we don’t think about the way the cities accept either gender. In fact, they have taken it for granted that the way Lagos is, is the way Lagos is. We forget that cities are gendered. And because they are gendered, they actually exclude others, whereas, what cities should be, is a fair and safe place for all. Hence it should be fair to each group.’

    “Conversations like this develops, expands, grows wings and legs and start happening in different corridors and phases when started. And eventually, they make their way upward to shape politics, behaviours, governance, urban planning, estate management, cities planning and public development,” she said.

    She believes that a city should be planned with a woman in mind and when that happens, “trust me, you have taken care of things for both genders including minorities. But, if you plan a city with just a man in mind, you just excluded those people. When we plan our cities in Nigeria, when we plan our estates, we must start thinking about women. Not so much about the kitchen; because that is what she is interested in, no. Both genders experience cities differently. Take it up to the point of view of how women experience things. And how do you do that? Do surveys, ask questions, and collate data. Because what you presume the answer would be is definitely not what the answer is.

    “In other cities outside Nigeria like New York, and London, the average woman can run to catch a bus in her heels. In Lagos, she can’t. And I am comparing metropolis. So, let’s start having sidewalks in pavements.’

  • Kuti Heritage Museum: From refuse dump to tourist site

    From touring the art landscape to becoming a promoter of art legacies and spaces, renowned architect Theo Lawson is a force behind restoring monuments. One of such is the just unveiled Kuti Heritage Museum in Abeokuta, home of the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s parents, Mr and Mrs Oludotun Ransome Kuti, Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme reports.

    Immortalising the Afrobeat legend

    Renowned architect Theo Lawson is not a stranger to the creative sector. Since he built Motherlan,’ the popular creative hub famous for hosting musician Lagbaja’s shows, Lawson has navigated the creative landscape with finesse.

    Apart from reconstructing the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s former residence at Gbemisola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, to a museum, he also redesigned the former colonial prison on Broad Street, Lagos into a recreational cum creative hub, known as the Freedom Park.

     

    Unveiling Kuti

    Heritage Museum

     

    Penultimate Saturday, the family home of Kuti’s parents in Abeokuta, which has been transformed into Kuti Heritage Museum, was unveiled by Governor Ibikunle Amosun. The ancient building has Lawson’s imprint.

    The aarchitect stated that the desire to refurbish the twin structures was informed by the poor state of the home, which was being abused by squatters and threatened by erosion. He noted that the premises had become a refuse dump and public toilet, especially its back side which has a valley, adding that after the death of Mummy Dolu, tenants in the house became squatters, bringing in different people.

    “We were able to salvage the main house though we lost the basement to erosion,” he stated.

     

    Recalling the beginning

     

    He recalled that the battle to restore the failed structure started during the tenure of former Governor Gbenga Daniels but nothing tangible was realised. “The concept of the project started during the tenure of former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it. We have been talking with Governor Amosun until the Kuti family started to do something to restore the house. That prompted the government to come to their aid.

    On what is being preserved for tourists in the house, Lawson said:”We bought few things to complement what we salvaged to make it homely.”

    He disclosed that the project is still ongoing, saying: “We are still curating the project. It is not easy getting information on Mr and Mrs Kuti. But, hopefully we should be done in a month’s time”.

    He noted that the project should have been completed last October, but was shifted to February and finally last weekend for unveiling.

    On how the project started,daughter of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Yeni,said: “It started with Architect Theo Lawson, who had the dream of preserving the Kuti legacy just as he has done with the Kalakuta Museum in Lagos. I brought him to look at the house and he said that it was good to preserve the house that my grandmother had. At that time, erosion had eaten some part of the building and that was why, we lost one floor. We approached former governor of Ogun State Otunba Gbenga Daniel to renovate the building and turn it to a museum, but he said his tenure was almost over and that we should approach the in-coming governor Ibikunle Amosun. Amosun accepted the proposal and today, the museum has been commissioned.”

    Excited over the house being restored by Ogun State government, she said: “I feel very happy, although it has not been completed, but I am happy. It is a good thing for us. It is not about building a house to live in; you live in a house and when you die, the house dies with you. But now, the house is a legacy that lives on and I am happy about it.”

     

    Memories of the Kuti House

     

    On what she remembered about the house, she said: “I lived in the house for a while and went to school. I remember we used to catch fish in the river behind the house, but I don’t know if it is a gutter or a canal now. I remember eating those insects that were usually caught after heavy rainfall. There used to be a gate behind our house. My siblings and I would sneak through the gate to the other side to catch fishes and come back to the house. I also remember my strict grandmother used to force us to eat food.

    “The house was not exclusive and it wasn’t as crowded as it is now. There were a lot of green leaves but maybe because am older now, the house then seemed very big and grey. Then, there were fewer houses with trees and the street was very peaceful and quiet.”

    Yeni further recalled that unlike her father, her grandmother was very strict, stating that the house also served as a boarding house ‘’which made us to be friends with all the students’’.

     

  • Coaching for employee retention

    Organisations in the 21st century must carefully strategise and map out plans to retain talent. The recruitment process does not end the moment talent resumes.  The most effective strategy used to increase employee retention is an employee coaching programme, which supports career growth and development.

    Organisations that want to retain their best talent and maintain productivity should focus their attention on engagement, loyalty, and job satisfaction. The organization that invests in coaching his or her employees ultimately is creating an engaging environment with those employees. According to a study done by Teresa Amabile of Harvard Business School, the No. 1 motivator of employees today is NOT reward and recognition, but progress! This sense of progress that the employee feels cannot occur without the involvement of a coach.

    The following are three key areas where a coaching can help improve employee retention

     

    Alignment of goals:

     

    When there is no alignment there is bound to be conflict. An employee needs to be coached through the process of aligning their personal goals with the organisation’s goals. Alignment occurs when the employee can find a common ground between his or her personal goals and that of the organisation, when alignment occurs the employee feels more involved in the organisation. The employee finds his fit in the organisation and moves from working for a pay check to working for a purpose. He finds that being a team player in the organisation will help him fulfill personal goals in the long term and he puts in more effort and begins to work from the heart and not just from the head. No employee wants to leave an organisation where they feel purposeful.

     

    Employee satisfaction

     

    A research showed that the most popular reason why good employees quit their jobs is not because of money as we all may think, but because of a sense of satisfaction and purpose. It is important that key elements like empathy and emotional intelligence are dominant in your work space as an employer, these two factors play a huge role in employee retention. For the average employee, it’s not necessarily always about the money, priorities are shifting on a daily basis, and people are beginning to cherish their peace of mind and dignity in the workplace. Are your employees happy at work?, are their needs for a sense of belonging effective communication and a meaningful work environment met?.  All these and more are the job of a coach, who ensures that employee satisfaction is on an optimum.

     

    Work life integration:

     

    The future of work is swiftly gravitating towards employees seeking to live more wholesome lives. The idea of work/life balance or work/life integration is fast becoming the order of the day. There is so much in the personal life of an employee that affects productivity and output at work, most employees fail to realize that outside the 9-5 hours of the day, the employees have to deal with issues in their personal lives. When an employee begins to feel like their entire life revolves around an organisation, they may soon be thinking of the way out of the organisation. When coaching is involved the employee can be coached to create a balance between work and life.

    Employee incompetence

     

    From experience I have discovered that most of the times the response to client incompetence is not always a query of some disciplinary action. It is very easy for employers to assume that the reason why employees make mistakes during the cause of their jobs is incompetence or laziness. In this situation a coach is able to step back and view things from an aerial view to elicit the underlying reason for such mistakes

    Coaching supports the skill development and forward movement along a set career path that so many individuals are looking for from the organization they are associated with. Because these needs are being fulfilled, and the individual can see that their company values them, they are more likely to stay.

     

     

  • Inspiring new vision to rebrand culture, tourism

    It is common knowledge that Dubai in United Arab Emirate is one of the world’s most visited cities in recent times. Tourist attractions in the city include Miracle Garden, Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Mall, Dubai Fountain, Old Dubai, Global Village, Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world and Burj Al Arab, the world’s tallest hotel with an underwater restaurant. Dubai has since emerged as a city where commerce communicates with culture to resonate as the tourism hub of the Middle East.

    Unlike most tourists to Dubai, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, recently led the council’s management team on a trip to Dubai. The aim was to expose the delegation to cultural tourism management using Dubai as a model. It also served as capacity building investment primed to reinvigorate staff potentials in order to expand the frontiers of management of culture in Nigeria.

    The team’s take-away is how does Nigeria leverage this illuminating exposure to brand and reinvent her cultural sector as a key player in the nation’s economy? Also, one inspiration behind the trip to Dubai is ‘Travel, see the sights and see what other people are doing with their culture and tourism. Come back home and see how to do something with ours. Market ours to the world, attract funds, grow the economy using culture and tourism to create jobs and attract tourists to Nigeria.’  In charting a new path to make total change in the creative sector, some major stakeholders in the sector especially, tourism operators, converged on Abuja last Friday for an interactive session devoid of rhetoric and theories. The screening of a 30-minute documentary on Dubai major sites set the tone for the brainstorming event organised by NCAC.

    Otunba Runsewe did not mince words when he told every participant to freely express his mind on the way forward as Nigeria cannot afford to neglect its rich cultural heritage that must be promoted as foreign exchange earner like oil and gas. He said it is high time Nigeria woke up to the reality that the creative sector has the capacity to fund the nation’s economy if given adequate attention. He disclosed that NCAC is planning to take  36 state commissioners and other key stakeholders to these sites in Dubai for practical experience.

    He said this vision needs drivers, ambassadors, platform runners, which every participant at the forum fits into. To him, this is a call to a new beginning to Africa and Nigeria must take the challenge first. “We are a people that believe we can do things first and I believe if they can do it there, we can do it and even better. The time is now as we cannot afford to wait any longer. The unborn Nigerians, the future generation of this country will not forgive us and posterity will not forgive us if we do not make amend and effect the changes now. So, I implore all stakeholders to come together for us to make a total change in this sector,” he said.

    He noted that only three states in United Arab Emirate Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Chaja are states that make economic impact using artificial approach to the endeavours of life and turn it to economic strength.   According to him, the management of NCAC undertook the trip to learn the tricks of these wonderful sites, with a view to inspiring same development back in Nigeria. “Only Dubai Mall has about 180 restaurants, over 5000 car park facility seeking more workers. Today, we must find a solution to our tourism industry,” he added.

    Director Research and Development NCAC, Dr. Elizabeth Ben-Iheanacho described the trip as a fantastic learning experience from which Nigeria can learn from the tourism strength particularly the history and evolution of the city of Dubai from the ancient desert to a fascinating tourism destination.

    Director Arts and Crafts, NCAC, Mrs ChinweAbara said the Dubai trip was phenomenal, which shows that the Emirate is well structured which Nigeria should emulate its commitment, spirit and sincerity of purpose of Dubai people in transforming some of our cultural sites into world tourism hub.

    Director Performing Arts, Mr. Sam Agbi NCAC, said: “Words may fail me to express exactly how I feel. What I saw in Dubai is simply creativity at its peak. The experience at all the tourists’ sites shows that the people are wonderful and I pray and hope that government of Nigeria will replicate same.”

    Among issues raised at the storming session that lasted some hours included setting up of a think-tank to drive the vision, conceptualise the ideas and develop them for implementation; establishment of a stand-alone tourism ministry and tourism police; imbibing the new culture of being proud of Nigeria, having Nigeria at heart and selling Nigeria; ensuring that professionalism is key in the new narrative; creating of content that will drive tourism; identifying like-minds that will serve as drivers, ambassadors and platform runners of the vision; and sustaining the advocacy for total change in the sector.

    Among participants at the interactive session were President National Association of Tour Operators Hajia Bilikisu Abdul-Ogueyi, Tourism Boat Operator Mr. Gani Tarzan Balogun, Vice President Society of Nigerian Artists, Mr. Akeni Prosper, President National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, Mr. Bankole Bernard, Vice President Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria, (FCT) Mr. Badaki Aliyu and President ANJET Mr. Andrew Okungbowa.

  • Ekiti Art Council DG calls for separate tourism ministry

    DIRECTOR-GENERAL of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to create a separate Tourism and Culture ministry.

    Ojo-Lanre made the call while receiving the award of Distinctive Leadership and Resilient in Travel and Tourism Journalist of the Year 2018 of The Tourism Transport Summit and Expo 2019 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.The event was organised by the Institute for Tourism Practitioners.

    While dedicating the award to President Buhari, Ojo-Lanre noted that all the countries that thrive in tourism have a separate ministry for tourism.

    “There is no doubt that the landscape of Nigeria is dotted with innumerable and enviable tourism potentialities, which if harnessed, would make the country the cynosure of all eyes, create wealth for her people and infuse unity among the people.

    “There is a dire need to create a separate ministry for Culture and Tourism to fast-track this, hence I humbly enjoin President MuhammaduBuhari to consider the creation of a separate ministry for Culture and Tourism, which, no doubt, would propel the practical development of the money-spinning tourism industry in Nigerian, which is part of the President’s plan to diversify the nation’s economy,” Ojo-Lanre said.

    While commending the ITP president, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, for the tenacity of purpose, Ojo-Lanre urged the institute and other tourism practitioners to support the President in the creation of a separate Culture and Tourism ministry.

    The Ekiti Council for Arts and Culture boss, who described the state as a paragon of arts and culture disclosed the determination of Governor Kayode Fayemi to explore the art, culture and tourism industries in the state to better the of the state and its people.

    “Governor Fayemi is fully aware of the viability of arts, culture, and tourism in creating wealth and employment, and fostering unity among the people of any society who explore the money-spinny sector, hence he has set the needed machineries in place to make Ekiti State a model in the arts, culture and tourism for other states in Nigeria.